Maryland Tops Ed Week Report Card

Education Week's annual Quality Counts report ranked Maryland, Massachusetts, and New York as the top three states for education, based on 35 factors. States were also ranked according to three separate indexes: Chance for Success, School Finance, and Transitions and Alignment.

There's a lot to digest here, but a few quick items of note:

• As a nation, the United States has held steady with a C+ on the Chance for Success index.
• Fewer states have college-readiness policies than early education standards.
• Sixteen states have plans to add college-prep courses in the coming years, while states have already increased efforts to sync curriculum with career pathways.

At the least, it would seem we're on the move to convert more students to graduates heading to college or into a career and bump up chances for success after graduation. What parts of the report resonated with you?

In addition to the State of the States report, Quality Counts 2009 includes a special report on English language learners.